Thursday, February 9, 2012

Mustard Tart with Carrots and Leeks

The sunny colors and starburst pattern make it hard to believe this is the winter version of this tart. It’s from Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table. She discovered this tart at her friends’ bed-and-breakfast outside Dijon which is fitting because the tart is flavored with that region’s mustard. There’s Dijon as well as grainy mustard, or moutard a l’ancienne, in the custard, and they bring a brightness that’s unexpected but lovely. The original version of the tart was topped with either slices of big tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes. I’ll have to wait a few months to try it that way, but I can imagine how good that will be too. When tomatoes aren’t in season, the tart can be topped as it is here with julienned pieces of carrots and leeks. I served this for Sunday brunch, but it would also be great for lunch or dinner with a little salad on the side.

The recipe in the book is written for a nine to nine and a half inch tart, but my round tart pan is eleven inches. I need more tart pans. To work with what I have, I did some quick math to scale up the ingredient quantities. To fit an eleven inch pan instead of a nine inch pan, all quantities need to be multiplied by one and a half. First, the tart shell was blind-baked and cooled. Meanwhile, the carrots and leeks were prepped. They were cut into skinny sticks and then steamed for a few minutes. Depending on how skinny you cut your vegetables, you’ll need to adjust the steaming time. Mine were pretty slim and became tender in the steamer in no time. A rosemary sprig was added while they steamed. Then, the vegetables were drained and patted dry. The custard was made with eggs, cream, Dijon mustard, grainy mustard, and salt and pepper. Dorie cautions you to taste before adding much salt since the mustards bring salt as well. And, you should taste for the mustard to be sure the flavor is strong enough and add more as needed. The custard was poured into the tart shell, and the carrots and leeks were arranged on top. A fresh sprig of rosemary was set on top before the tart went into the oven for about 30 minutes.

The custard takes some of the edge off the sharpness of the mustards, but their savoriness is unmistakable. It really worked to wake up the other flavors. And, those thin pieces of carrot and leek were tender enough after steaming to easily cut through them with a fork for each bite. It was perfect in its simplicity, and I’m glad there are two versions so I can make this year-round.



27 comments:

  1. You know how I love my tarts! I have always wanted to try the Dijon tart in Dorie's book....I like your version using what is available.

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  2. Beautiful looking and so appetizing sounding! Leeks and carrots pair perfectly with mustard.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  3. I read the title of this post in my RSS reader and was thinking how you always have dishes that sound so fabulous! I was in mid-thought when I clicked the link and my jaw *literally* dropped at your gorgeous photo. Breathtaking! I'm off to share this one on Facebook!

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  4. I got hungry the moment I looked into the photos. I am very sure this delicious =)

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  5. I love this cookbook, have made several recipes in it and have even more bookmarked to make someday. Apparently, this recipe is going to have to move toward the front of the line.

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  6. Gorgeous! What a great way to use the veggies of the season...which by now, I'm getting a teensy bit weary of. The French do love to use mustard in tarts (and on bread, and fries), and I love that this one uses two different ones. I'm making this!

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  7. This is so beautiful Lisa. As I've gotten older, my adoration of mustard has increased - I know I would love this tart. I really like making tarts for special dinners. Have you gotten a new camera? Your pictures are especially gorgeous.

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  8. Your post reminds me that I really need to pick up Dorie's book again. This is a stunning tart and since it's Dorie's recipe, I am confident that it was fabulous!

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  9. Oh this looks great. What a great way to use mustard, so lovely with vegatables

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  10. Dana: Thank you! No new camera. I just got lucky with the photos.

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  11. Looks like a keeper. Such a beautiful and delicious looking tart. I' ve got to get that cookbook. I've heard so many good things about it.

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  12. this is a knockout in the looks department, lisa! the display and the colors are quite stunning. :)

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  13. Oh it looks so cute. Looks like the sun :)

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  14. wow this is AWESOME! And I am with Grace, it looks very pretty.

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  15. Absolute perfection! You did such a great job with the steamed carrots and leeks on top, it is worthy of being showcased at a Lenotre Bakery in the center of Paris!

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  16. What a beautiful tart! The colours look amazing. Love your precision in cutting Lisa!

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  17. Dorie's Around my French Table is languishing on my bookshelf. Your lovely tart has reminded my to revisit all the bookmarks I left behind!

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  18. This is so pretty! I must get that book.

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  19. This is a stunning presentation with so many beautiful colors. I want to make this right now. I unfortunately don't have that cookbook, but have heard amazing things about it! Nice to meet you and look forward to reading more of our gorgeous posts!

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  20. I love savoury tarts like this! absolutely gorgeous.

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  21. Lisa, what a magnificent, stunning tart! It looks like dessert! I absolutely go nuts for dishes like this that take humble winter vegetables and kick them up into something so flavorful and fabulous. Great recipe and beautiful job!

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  22. That's exquisite! You are amazing, Lisa. I'm going out to the kitchen and measure my tart pans. I know I have a rectangular one. It should work in that as well.
    I really must go back and look at all my markers in Dorie's book. I don't even remember this!

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  23. How pretty! I love brightly colored foods in the dead of winter, especially with these grey days we've been having. I'm sure this tart was delicious as it certainly looks so- reminds me I need to pull that book off the shelf again. It's been awhile since I perused it.

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  24. Oh my, it looks like fireworks on the tart from top view! Absolutely gorgeous.

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  25. I HAVE to make this. Mustard is a favorite to begin with, and I love tarts in general. With Dorie, you can't go wrong, but goodness -- you've really created something beautiful. (Definitely get more tart pans -- they're so fun to experiment with.)

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  26. I loved the recipe and your blog too!
    kisses (Brazil)

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